It’s been five-and-a-half years since the fastidious “Breaking Bad” drug kingpin, played by Giancarlo Esposito, was blown to kingdom come — by a bomb that Walter (Bryan Cranston) planted under the wheelchair of Fring’s mute, bell-ringing nemesis, Hector Salamanca (Mark Margolis).

“I thought I was done [with Gus], to be honest with you,” says Esposito, 58. “I kept saying to fans that I wouldn’t come back [as Gus] to do an episode or two because that would be a terrible tease, or go back just to bring back the Gus they’ve seen before.

“I didn’t want to be a parody of myself or a parody of Gus,” he says. “I wanted a Gus who would grow into the Gus we see in ‘Breaking Bad,’ but we see him in a place we’ve never seen him before. So I’ve made some adjustments in his attitude; maybe he’s slightly greener. He’s always powerful and shrewd and intelligent — but he’s trying to navigate his way through the family of this cartel to get to the top.

“If I plant the seed that Gus is a little kinder, a little gentler, but still ruthless, then I have the Gus I want to portray prior to ‘Breaking Bad.’”

As in his previous TV life, the Gus we meet in “Better Call Saul” is managing Los Pollos Hermanos, the Albuquerque chicken franchise that doubles as a front for his crystal meth empire. “You’ll start to see Gus ride in with the cartel but figuring out where he stands,” says Esposito. “He’s a Gus with new ideas, proposing things that are absolutely viable and can enhance the [cartel’s] business.

“You’ll see him involved with the cartel and with some of the old players from ‘Breaking Bad’ at a level that’s just a little different,” he says. “You’ll see how Gus gets involved with Mike (Jonathan Banks), who becomes his top soldier.

“One of the things that fascinates me about a character like Gus is what we don’t know about him,” Esposito says. “To me, there’s always a certain mystery withheld. Where did he come from? Was he a made man in Chile? Was he from military royalty? How did he become so erudite?

“He comes from this incredibly lavish, luxurious background that he turns his back on. He wanted to make something of himself in his own way. We have the ability to tell this in a different way, and that’s what I like.”

Esposito says that Gus will “weave in and out” of “Better Call Saul” this season. “We start to see Gus putting the pieces together and also taking something away from someone else — not stealing, but figuring out a new delivery system that works better, has less risk,” he says. “We see him start to rethink the nuts and bolts of the business and how he’ll elevate everyone. I really like the fact that we’re laying the groundwork … and possibilities for next season and the season after that.”